Sleep is overrated. No one knows that better than Meryl Blau, faculty advisor to PhilADthropy and professor at University of Miami’s School of Communication. Since 2010, Blau has put together 16 teams of student and professional volunteers and led them on a 25-hour caffeine-fueled advertising rolling coaster.

With the promise of cold weather and stiff competition, the University of Miami’s debate team travelled to Indiana to compete in the fifth annual Hoosier Invitational Tournament in Bloomington. From Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, the UM team debated their way to the top of the rankings.

In an event unlike any other, 16 teams of University of Miami students participated in PhilADthopy, a 25-hour blitz that ultimately produces free public relations, advertising, marketing and social media strategies to selected organizations.